Miele New Zealand General Manager, Steven Bellamy, says: “The accomplishment of receiving so many of these highly-regarded Consumer Awards consistently from 2016 to 2018 is an outstanding result and a tremendous endorsement of the Miele brand by New Zealand consumers.

"Despite these headwinds our profit continues to track marginally ahead of last year and we anticipate this being reflected in an increased half-year profit announcement for the Group, expected to be released on 20 September 2018.”

Spectrum battery share too small to be anti-competitive

The ACCC has given the green light for Energizer to buy Spectrum Brands' global battery and lighting business.

"The ACCC considers that the proposed acquisition would be likely to lessen competition in the market in Australia for consumer batteries, but not substantially.

"This means that the proposed acquisition would not breach section 50 of the Competition & Consumer Act."

The ACCC investigation focused on whether Spectrum would provide a strong competitive constraint on the market leaders, Energizer and Duracell, despite its small share of sales.

"Despite its strong brand recognition in Europe, Spectrum’s limited brand recognition in Australia and its limited market share mean Spectrum is unlikely to be a strong constraint on Energizer and Duracell in the medium-term," says the ACCC.

"We also believe there are other brands and private label products that could fill a similar competitive niche in the market to Spectrum."